Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

Quantity: 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
35 used & new from £6.36

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Tell a Friend
Fear of Knowledge: Against Relativism and Constructivism
 
 
Fear of Knowledge: Against Relativism and Constructivism (Paperback)
by Paul Boghossian (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars 3 customer reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £9.49 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £15 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £0.50 (5%)
Availability: In stock. Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.

Only 4 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by 1pm Tuesday, May 13? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

35 used & new available from £6.36
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £19.99 £18.99 27 used & new from £12.00
 
   

Perfect Partner

Buy this book with Thought and Reality (Lines of Thought) by Michael Dummett today!

Fear of Knowledge: Against Relativism and Constructivism Thought and Reality (Lines of Thought)
Buy Together Today: £26.48

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Thought and Reality (Lines of Thought)

Thought and Reality (Lines of Thought) by Michael Dummett

£16.99
Knowledge and Its Limits

Knowledge and Its Limits by Timothy Williamson

£17.09
Ethics: Twelve Lectures on the Philosophy of Morality

Ethics: Twelve Lectures on the Philosophy of Morality by David Wiggins

£13.99
Why Truth Matters

Why Truth Matters by Jeremy Stangroom; Ophelia Benson

4.2 out of 5 stars (5)  £6.99
In the Beginning was the Deed: Realism and Moralism in Political Argument

In the Beginning was the Deed: Realism and Moralism in Political Argument by Bernard Williams

£10.40
Explore similar items : Books (49)

Product details

Product Description
Simon Blackburn, Times Literary Supplement, 1 September 2006
'a thoroughly professional contribution' --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Simon Blackburn, Times Literary Supplement
"a thoroughly professional contribution" --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed

Truth

Truth by Paul Horwich

£22.00
Relativism (Problems of Philosophy)

Relativism (Problems of Philosophy) by Maria Baghramian

£18.99
Routledge History of Philosophy: Philosophy of Science, Logic and Mathematics in the 20th Century Vol 9 (Routledge History of Philosophy)

Routledge History of Philosophy: Philosophy of Science, Logic and Mathematics in the 20th Century Vol 9 (Routledge History of Philosophy) by Stuart G. Shanker

£20.89
Reference and Description: The Case Against Two-Dimensionalism

Reference and Description: The Case Against Two-Dimensionalism by Scott Soames

£11.95
New Essays on the a Priori

New Essays on the a Priori by Paul Boghossian

£25.00
Explore similar items : Books (36) DVD (1)

 
Customer Reviews
3 Reviews
5 star: 33%  (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star: 33%  (1)
2 star: 33%  (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Write an online review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars With such enemies, who needs friends?, 14 Nov 2006
A clearheaded critique of certain social constructivist tendencies would be a welcome contribution to the philosophical debate; unfortunately this book does not provide it. It consistently overstates the importance or relevance of some of the more outlandish ideas of individual 'relativists' and/or 'constructivists', thereby neglecting the bulk of the literature proposing entirely reasonable forms of 'social constructivism' (though they are rarely advertised under this label). Lack of familiarity breeds contempt, and so it should come as a no surprise that Boghossian makes little attempt to give the positions he criticises a charitable interpretation. What is more worrying, however, is that some of Boghossian's arguments are outright sloppy. (In some cases, he exploits an equivocation between an assertion of entailment and one of identity in order to force an argument to work -- hardly an argumentative move worthy of a philosopher of Boghossian's standing...) In the preface, Boghossian writes that he tried to make the book accessible beyond the narrow circle of academic philosophers. While this is a laudable goal, I am doubtful whether it suffices to justify (to mention but one example) delegating to a mere footnote problems with, e.g., the tripartite definition of knowledge (p. 16) -- when it is the stalemate arising from just such problems which has prompted many philosophers to seek a departure from traditional epistemology, e.g. along the lines of social epistemology (and for this one need not turn to Latour, Boghossian's favorite bogeyman, but to figures such as Edward Craig...) Finally, the timing for Boghossian's book is awkward. Any discerning observer of contemporary epistemology should by now have noticed that there is considerable rapprochement between different philosophical traditions, an increased awareness of the role of values in epistemology, new constructive uses of history in philosophy, all of which contributes to the project of philosophical inquiry rather than detracting from it. In summary, to paraphrase Bernard Williams, a work in philosophy may be unimaginative not because it fails to be clever but because it misses the point. Boghossian's book is a clear instance of that.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? YesNo (Report this)



 
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Unconvincing, 8 Nov 2007
By Jonathan Birch (Manchester) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Paul Boghossian is the philosophical wing of the current anti-relativism brigade, which notably includes Alan Sokal, Ophelia Benson, Jeremy Stangroom and Nick Cohen. Fans of these writers should definitely have a look at "Fear of Knowledge", which (commendably) assesses the matter in plain English intelligible to non-philosophers. In this short, readable volume, Boghossian tries to tackle the relativist on logical grounds. It's a brave thing to do - if there really were gaping holes in the relativist position, a lot of relativists would finish the book red-faced and Boghossian would change the world.

Sadly, Boghossian doesn't succeed. This is a very brief treatment of the topic that often takes the form of specific quibbles with specific examples given by relativists. His big headline argument against epistemic relativism (i.e. the view that there are no absolute facts regarding what beliefs we are epistemically justified in holding) is unpersuasive. You wait for the killer blow and it never comes. It rests on an all-conquering notion of "blind entitlement" to an epistemic system. This concept is poorly articulated and I don't think it is sufficient to do the work Boghossian wants it to do.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? YesNo (Report this)



 
5 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, 18 April 2006
Boghossian does an excellent job of dispersing a few popular but entirely gaseous philosophical ideas, exposing the fallacies or sheer lack of argument underlying much of them. There is a certain amount of technical language but that shouldn't prevent non-philosophers from following the argument.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes